Karak Castle, Jordan

Karak Castle from the East

Karak Castle dominates the surrounding countryside, from its perch high in south central Jordan. On a clear day you can see the Dead Sea from here. The Christians built it in the 12-century at the height of the Crusades in their attempt to control this part of the world and managed to hold it for almost 50 years.

Its most notorious ruler in those years was Raynald de Chatillon, noted for his cruelty – he was fond of throwing people to certain death from the castle walls. Often he would encase the victim’s head in a box in order, he thought, to prolong their consciousness.

He signed a truce with the Muslims led by the great Sultan Saladin but almost immediately violated it, plundering their caravans. Saladin, celebrated for his noble and chivalrous behaviour, was so enraged that when he ultimately captured Raynald, Saladin personally beheaded him.

Karak Castle detail

Karak is the largest Crusader Castle remaining in the Middle East and it’s impressive; the city clings to the north end of the castle, its only entrance. The roads around this gate are sparse and parking even more so. We climbed to winding roads in our rented van and looked for a spot. As I approached the main entrance a large man in a billowing shirt called to me. “If you’ll have lunch in my café, you can park here,” he said, pointing to a space in the street. I’d started to parallel park when a policeman appeared.

“No!” he shouted, “Police parking.” And as he said this, a police van drew up.

“Ignore him!” white shirt man said, “this is my space.” The two started to argue furiously.

Eventually, a second cop arrived and was even more strident with me. I explained that although I liked his shirt, I felt I should obey the guy in uniform. White shirt man strode off and moved a car in front of his restaurant and put me in there. He was furious though, explaining that the restaurant owners around the castle had paid to have that parking before the police had appropriated it.

Bus reverses by my driver’s door

The castle is a large site, well preserved and with many levels – we did our best to burrow through it, romping along dark passages, climbing the turrets and enjoying the expansive views. We never could find a washroom though… and frankly after the parking debacle, we were keen to get back to our friend’s cafe for lunch.

As we sat on his patio eating our chicken kebabs, washed down with lemon-mint drink, I realized how little room we’d left the tour buses. I must say it challenged my appetite as I watched each bus squeeze by my driver’s door. 

View from Karak Castle looking south west